by Barbara King

Created on: May 26, 2008

Recess is one more victim of the "No Child Left Behind" law. Today, so much emphasis is put on testing and bringing up test scores, that some very necessary and crucial programs to a child's well-being are being suspended in favor of more test prep time.

At a time when the youth of our country are becoming more and more obese, it seems totally ridiculous that morning and afternoon recesses are being eliminated, with only fifteen minutes to eat at lunchtime and a fifteen minute break for recess.

Many of our youth live in families that cannot afford expensive fees to join sports programs; such as hockey, softball, soccer, etc. The children not in these programs spend their time watching TV or playing games on their game station. It is a very solitary existence. No wonder so many youth are lacking social skills or join gangs for social interaction. Not only small children, but even those up to eighth grade benefit from recess.

Recess is a time to relieve stress and get rid of the wiggles. It is a time to get out in the fresh air, to scream and shout and to act silly. Many corporations have seen the benefit of allowing their workers to have an exercise break by having exercise equipment easily accessible. The corporations have found that their workers come back to the job more alert and in a better frame of mind. If this works so well for adults, why are we taking this away from older elementary students and limited recess time for the younger students?

A child is a complete being, not just a lump of brain matter sitting at a desk. We need to be educating the entire being. So many of life's lessons can be best taught on a playground where the teacher is not right in the student's face.

One of the many lessons a child learns on the playground is that the world does not revolve around them. They need to take turns and share because there are many more kids then swings. Sometimes you get picked last, or you swing out when bases are loaded and it's not appropriate to express your disappointment by swearing, throwing the bat or blaming the pitcher.

A child needs to learn what people are true friends and which kids hang around you when they want something from you. You learn how to avoid the bullies and when to speak up and when to be quiet. Social skills classes are good, but real life practice is better.

Lets educate the whole child. Let's give recess back to to the school and see if that doesn't help bring up scores too.

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